Spirit Airlines Introducing $5 Boarding Pass Fee

From the airline that brought you carry-on baggage fees, Spirit Airlines, comes a new fee for boarding passes.

The super-discount airline announced Monday that, beginning November 1, boarding passes printed by a Spirit agent will run a passenger $5 each way. There is no charge for checking in online or printing one's own boarding pass from an airport kiosk.

According to the company, this new policy will mean even more savings for passengers as flight fares will be $5 cheaper. The decision stemmed from a survey that revealed 94% of respondents would be willing to check in online if it meant saving a few more dollars.

"We believe it is important to let customers decide what is of value to them. We want to give them the ability to choose the extras they want without forcing them to pay for add-ons they don't want or need," said Spirit President and CEO Ben Baldanza in a press release. "Why would you want to pay for services you don't use?"

But, watch out for another fee in the future. Beginning June 26, 2012, passes printed at airport kiosks will be $1. However, fees are waived at airports where kiosks don't exist.

Spirit is not the first airline to rock the boat with its fees. Discount European carrier Ryanair instituted a policy whereby guests who didn't arrive with a pre-printed boarding pass had to pay 40 Euro ($56) to have one issued. A Spanish judge ruled this unfair and void. But, as Lily Allen tweeted earlier this month, it's still 40 quid for a piece of paper she had for seven minutes.